Any good Online Collaboration and Mind Mapping sites for my 5th Graders to use?

I have found a few, but would like to get the opinions of the Classroom 2.0 educators. I liked PBWorks and Mindmeister. I also want sites in which I am the administrator and can create logins for my students. Thanks for any input.

Jonathan

Tags: 2.0, Web, collaboration, mapping, mind, online

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Permalink Reply by Francis Oppong on February 19, 2011 at 3:50pm

Hello there, i have just created a website that allows student learn and teach in a virtual classroom. I beleive deprived countries in Africa can make use of the global world and have the opportunity to learn from advanced nations. Students can vote for a leader and the leader will control the class for a month. Please tell me if you think its a good idea. Am open for any collaborations. Thanks www.afropaddy.com

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Permalink Reply by Colleen Young on February 20, 2011 at 6:05am

I like Wikispaces and have used this successfully with students who learn to use it easily. Teachers can use the user creator so age is not a problem, student email addresses are not required.

Links on wikis including Wikispaces here.

For mind maps a very simple tool to use is Bubbl.us - see diagrams page here.

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Permalink Reply by Irishjedi on February 21, 2011 at 12:50pm

Colleen,

I like Wikispaces too, but my district blocks them. I've tried to have them unblock it but to no avail. I have found success with Mindmeister though for mindmapping and PBWorks for collaboration.

Thanks for the response.

Jonathan

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Permalink Reply by Colleen Young on February 21, 2011 at 2:07pm

Jonathan what a shame you can't use Wikispaces; you can set up private, protected sites that are free for educators. I wonder why it is blocked?

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Permalink Reply by Katy Scott on February 21, 2011 at 1:02pm

Have you tried Google docs for collaboration? I really like it, and it's something your students will probably need to use in the future. (Google for Educators gives teachers added options in terms of administration, etc.)

This thread might have some viable mind-mapping options for you.

Katy Scott

Stretch Your Digital Dollar

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Permalink Reply by Jessica Pilgreen on February 21, 2011 at 1:03pm

A lot of people seem to like Webspiration (because it is nearly identical to a paid program called Inspiration) for mind mapping, namely because it can convert your mind map into an outline. If you want to incorporate outlining, I'd recommend Webspiration. Might be a little complex for younger students, though. I would try Wallwisher instead, if outlining isn't a factor. Or maybe an online whiteboard, like Scriblink?

Jessica

meandmylaptop.weebly.com

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Permalink Reply by Katy Scott on February 22, 2011 at 2:30pm

I LOVE Inspiration. I hadn't heard of Webspiration before -- thanks for sharing! I just noticed that they'll no longer offer free account starting in April, though, which sucks.

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Permalink Reply by Irishjedi on March 5, 2011 at 6:14am

Jessica,

Thanks for the heads up on Webspiration. I like it. Now I can give my students a choice between a mind map or outline. I'm going to introduce this on Monday. Thanks again.

Jon

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Permalink Reply by Jeremy Alger on February 22, 2011 at 1:42pm

Hi Jonathan,

Wallwisher is a great tool for collaboration tool and students enjoy seeing their posts stuck to the screen.

I have posted a review of wallwisher for teachers here.

Jeremy

edjudo.com

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Permalink Reply by Ben Stafford on March 5, 2011 at 8:30am

For mind mapping I like bubbl.us

It is one of the easiest sites to use and doesn't
Require an account and can share and collaborate
among users.

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Permalink Reply by Irishjedi on March 5, 2011 at 10:32am

PBWorks is really good. It is just like a word processor and easy to use. My students like the chat feature and how easy it is to comment on each others writings.